In the Dead Of Space
by AshPash1392
Summary: Jayne is busted when he is caught in the cockpit
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just a short fic about my two favourite characters. Please comment!**

_"I had a bad feeling about you from the start"._

_The T-Rex let out a gruff, sinister laugh as he advanced on the Stegosaurus, clearly intent on violence._

_The Stegosaur backed up until he stumbled to a stop, feeling nothing but empty air under one of his hind feet. Turning his head to confirm that, yes, he was right on the edge of the cliff top, Steg faced T-Rex once more with all the false bravado he could muster. "You really expect to get away with this?"_

_"I expect you to die!" T-Rex bared his ferocious teeth and prepared for attack…._

"What is the Jayne-man doing?"

The toy dinosaurs fell to the floor as Jayne jumped out of the pilots chair, shooter in hand. "Gorram it crazy! What in the hell are you doin' up here this time a' night?" River just giggled as Jayne scowled at her.

"He did not answer the girl, although from what was overheard, and the evidence upon the floor the girl could hazard a guess – " " T'ain't no ruttin business of yours moonbrain" Jayne cut in as he holstered his weapon, brushing past River as he rushed out of the cockpit.

River turned around, calling out to Jayne's retreating back "The girl will keep his secret, if he will let her play next time."

Jayne stopped and spun back around, trying to stare down the girl, but River maintained her usual serene mask looking like she could wait all night. "Fine….but you tell anyone, ain't no-one in the Verse can protect you from me, not even Cap'n….and the T-Rex is mine girlie, so keep your paws off it!"

Jayne stormed back to his bunk, as River scooped up the toys from the floor.

Holding them up in front of her, she whispered "_You've escaped this time Stegosaur, but I shall have my revenge."_ Cradling the dinosaurs in her hands, River curled up in the pilots chair, humming softly to herself as she stared off into the black depth of space.


	2. Chapter 2

"The horror, oh the horror! Quick, somebody flag an Alliance ship and get a law-man."

Jayne rolled his eyes at Wash's dramatics, as Mal took the bait "Is there some sort'a problem Wash?" "Problem? PROBLEM?! I think the kidnap of a defenceless T-Rex, regardless of his somewhat unsavoury reputation, goes a bit beyond a problem Mal."

Mal glanced at the control panel, and sure enough it did seem to be missing one small toy dinosaur.

"So help me Wash, if we get tagged by Alliance with a cargo-bay full of questionable goods all on account of your missing toy, I am gunna be more than a mite displeased."

Wash cleared his throat and began aimlessly hitting buttons in a very professional piloty way "Roger that Cap'n, course set for Persephone." "Badger's expecting us in a four days time, so let's fix to land there in three." With that final instruction, Mal headed out of the cockpit. Jayne quickly followed behind him, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. For the past few days he had successfully managed to avoid River, but he had a feeling it was only because she had allowed it. More used to being a bad guy, he was finding awful unnerving to feel like the prey of some unseen hunter.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he made it safely to his bunk without catching sight of a certain slip of a girl. Collapsing onto his bed, he immediately sat back up again and dug around under his pillow pulling out the missing T-Rex. Jayne glanced around guiltily, fearful of seeing Wash appear out of thin air pointing a finger at him screaming "AH-HA!" Shaking off that image, Jayne frowned down at the toy and pulled out a thread of wool that had been tangled around its teeth. Recognizing the bright orange colour, he stuffed the dinosaur into his pocket and scrambled towards his storage locker.

The full extent of Rivers cunning became clear when Jayne failed to find his beloved orange beanie. Cursing up a storm, he rushed out of his bunk in search of River - gracefully accepting defeat had never been Jayne's strong suit.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks all for the lovely reviews **** originally just meant to be a one-shot; I hope the follow up chapters have been worth a read.**

By the time Jayne managed to track down the elusive girl, the worst of his temper had worn off and not that he would ever admit it, but he was grudgingly impressed with her strategy. Stepping into the infirmary, he prepared himself for the battle ahead, but stopped short when he heard the first sniffle.

"Now come on girlie, that ain't no fair way to fight." Getting no response, Jayne shifted close enough to see the tears sluggishly trailing down Rivers face as she stared vacantly across at the blank wall opposite from where she was huddled on the floor. Not knowing what to do, and getting a mite panicked, Jayne considered the best place to look for Simon. The Doc seemed to be the only one who knew how to handle River when she got all crazy-like. Just as he took a step towards the door, River snapped out of whatever haze she had been in "Please, don't get Simon. He will administer the evil drugs and put the girl to sleep, where the dreams cannot be controlled when they eat the girl from the inside out."

Relieved that the statement made more sense than her usual ramblings, Jayne moved slowly over to River not wanting to startle her into any sort of violence. Easing to the floor, but still keeping a healthy distance between them Jayne asked, not unkindly "What's the matter moon-brain? You had some sorta nightmare or vision or something?"

River glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and sensing that he was genuinely concerned, she struggled for a coherent reply that he would be able to make sense of. "She wanted to win the game against the Jayne-man, and so she hid in the last place he would look for her. But then the walls started trying to suffocate her and the memories got so hot in her brain pan that they burned her eyes, and everything got so loud…." She let out a whimper as she cradled her head between her slim hands "and she remembered that she is not a girl, and that weapons can't play games, can only hurt and kill."

Disregarding his own safety, Jayne shuffled closer and draped an arm of the trembling shoulders "For someone so smart, you sure sound awful stupid sometimes." This seemed to snap River back to her usual self for a minute as she shot Jayne a look full of insult. He chuckled "Figured your ego wouldn't like that none. Now listen here girlie, you gunna let them government-types keep controlling you from across the other side of the Verse? Way I see it, you can either sit here crying over something that you can't change, or you can take charge of them scary talents of yours."

River gave a last sniffle and attempted to mop the tears from her face with the sleeve of her dress. "For such a caveman, the Jayne-man can be oddly wise." Jayne got a pleased look on his face, choosing to take this as a compliment. "Well thank ya' kindly." Searching around in his pocket, he pulled out the T-Rex and offered it to River, who giggled and took it from him. Picking up the forgotten beanie that had been sitting on her lap, she handed it back to Jayne "She is sorry she took his cherished possession, she underestimated his attachment to it." "Well, no harm done I guess." He breathed a silent sigh of relief as the beanies familiar weight settled onto his head. Gesturing to the toy River held, Jayne aimed at her a devious grin "Reckon we could have a spot of fun with that thing, don't ya think?" Picking up on what he had in mind, River returned his grin and jumped to her feet, eager to enjoy the newly hatched plan.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wash let out an exhausted sigh as he collapsed onto his bunk, careful not to disturb his darling wife. Burying his face into the coolness of his pillow, he felt something pocking into it. Fishing round under the pillow, his hand came across a familiar shape. "AH-HA!" Zoe Shot awake, a deadly looking blade in hand "What is it honey, what's happened?" Looking around their cabin, Zoe sent Wash a confused look when no imminent danger was apparent, only to find that ridiculous T-Rex shoved in her face. "Where's the loyalty? How is this marriage supposed to work if there is no trust between man and wife? If you wanted to borrow him, all you had to do was ask, there was no cause to result to such thievery! I blame Mal – he's clearly led you too far down this path, and I fear it may be too late to save your damned soul." Having no clue as to what her husband was going on about, Zoe just rolled her eyes and settled back down to get some sleep, doing her best to ignore Wash's rambling. "And further more…" seeing that his wife had gone back to sleep mid lecture (the insult!), Wash cradled the dinosaur in his hands "Did you miss daddy? Daddy missed you." Laying back down onto his pillow, he let out a contented sigh. Apart from the betrayal of his previously beloved wife, all was once again right in Wash's verse.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry, just a short one **** :'( I will do my very bestest to write another chapter soon!**

As he stepped out of the hot sun into the shady cargo bay, Jayne kept his shoulders hunched in his heavy overcoat, hands stuffed into the pockets, and only just kept himself from glancing over his shoulder knowing it would make him look like he was guilty of something. Which he usually was, but this time he hadn't broken any laws, or got into any fights.

Granted, he was attempting to smuggle one small item on board Serenity without the rest of the crew knowing about it; but as he had paid for it fair and square he didn't need anybody grilling him over it. As he reached his bunk, he sighed in relief, feeling like he hid a grenade in his pocket rather than a toy that he could hold in the palm of one hand.

Jayne shrugged off his coat, and pulled the toy from one of the pockets before tossing it onto his bed. Turning the toy over in his hand, he began having doubts about whether or not it was a good idea, and how River would react to the well-meant gift. Wasn't like he was courting her or nothin', it was just that he'd seen the toy at one of them markets that Kaylee occasionally dragged him to, and it had reminded him of the moonbrain; some sort of animal, all sleek and dark, with a pretty coat of fur, and long tail that was almost the length of its body.

Before he could change his mind, Jayne dug around in his cupboard and pulled out a pretty piece of material that he had found in Inara's shuttle after she had left and squirreled away for a special occasion. After carefully wrapping the toy in the coloured cloth, he buried it amongst his clothes and closed the cupboard. He would have to wait until he could get River alone, probably after the rest of the crew had gone to their bunks for some shut eye. Not that he was ashamed; he just didn't need the nosy crew getting into his business.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was Jaynes turn to cook the next group meal, which meant basic fried protein – he figured if anyone wanted to complain, they could cook their own gorram food. Knowing that no-one would come near him while he was forced to do kitchen duty, Jayne was able to relax. Truth be told, he actually didn't mind a bit of cooking now and then; reminded him of quiet days spent with his mother in the kitchen. Smiling at the memory, he didn't notice River slip in until she stood right next to him and her dress brushed his arm. The hot pan would have gone flying when his arm jerked in surprise if River hadn't grabbed his hand and held it steady.

"_Wei Shian Dohn Woo Yao Nu_! What in the ruttin' hell are you doin crazy?" Jayne yelled out, while silently cursing himself for letting his guard down when he knew she had a habit of showing up when he lest expected. River tilted her head, looking confused "Thought the Jayne-man wanted to see the girl?" "Well…I did, I guess…. but that ain't no reason to go sneakin' up on a man!" River just smiled and looked at him expectantly. "Well, come on down to my bunk later on, got a surprise for you. But don't go readin' me or nothing and ruin it." With that Jayne turned his attention back to the pan, and sensing the dismissal in the action, River drifted off in search of other crew members.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: As promised, the next chapter fairly quick. Also, a BIG thank you to my reviewers – one of my fav things about posting new stuff is hearing that you are enjoying it :) because I am so grateful, here is a slightly longer chapter than usual to keep you happy**

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

After wandering around Serenity feeling out each crew members state of mind, River settled on Mal. The Captain-Daddy was unusually serene, which probably meant he was taking his turn as pilot. River knew one of the few things that would settle his thoughts was staring out into the Black, and her preferred method of keeping herself together was basking in the calm wash of her crew mate's thoughts. Mal glanced over, sensing Rivers presence as she stood in the doorway "Hey there lil' tross, what cha doing?" As she settled herself into the co-pilots chair, River smiled when she noticed the absence of a certain pair of dinosaurs.

"The girl is awaiting sustenance, but the Jayne-man doesn't want a co-pilot, and every-one else was too loud so she came here to be washed clean by the flow off space, while being anchored by the Captain-Daddy."

Mal knew better than to try and understand everything River said, but he got the general idea of what she was saying and felt chuffed that she would choose him to keep her company for the next little while. They sat there in silence, both seeing different things as they stared out at the bright lights of the stars hanging in the black.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As Jayne tended to give his undivided attention to his plate during meal time, none of the crew would have suspected that his thoughts were miles away. He didn't taste one mouthful of his dinner as he argued with himself about whether or not the toy for River had been his best or worst idea to date. Glancing her way, he was surprised to see her looking at him with a secretive smile meant just for him. He unconsciously relaxed as he decided that he may as well give it to her, rather than it taking up space in his bunk, plus the ribbin he would get if one of the crew found it and thought it was his. That settled, Jayne was able to enjoy the rest of his dinner.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A few hours later, Jayne was resting on his bed as he polished his favourite knife, using the routine task to calm the nerves flyin' round his belly. After River had disappeared from the table, Jayne once again began doubting himself. He had quickly cleared up his plate and escaped to his bunk, hoping that River would have enough sense to wait till the others had gone to their bunks before coming to his. So lost in his thoughts, he missed the sound of the quiet steps sneaking down into his bunk, and it wasn't until River touched his leg that he even realised she was there "Gorram it girlie! You better not make a habit of sneakin' up on me, 'specially when I got a weapon in my hand."

Neither of them commented on the fact that he hadn't even dropped the cloth from the shiny blade when she had surprised him. Placing them carefully on the shelf next to his bed, Jayne stood up and crossed to his cupboard. He was unaccountably nervous, and more than a little embarrassed as he thrust the gift into her hands "Just reckoned you should have your own, 'stead of sneaking round stealing Wash's. He'd be right mad if he knew it was you that took it."

River was silent as she unwrapped the present, carefully tucking the cloth into the pocket of her dress, then lifting up the toy in order to inspect it up close. Jayne couldn't stand the silence, so he said "Don't rightly know what it is but it reminded me of ya, didn't cost me hardly nothing so if you don't like it you can just throw it out the garbage shute or – "

"_Neofelis nebulosa, _commonly known as the clouded snow leopard – an extinct species from Earth-That-Was. Solitary, excellent at climbing and creeping through forests, spotted fur for camouflage and a long tail used for balance. Smallest of the big cat species, yet longest upper canine teeth in comparison to skull size of any carnivores of the time period. Extremely hard to study due to limited numbers in the wild and it's secretive nature."

River raised her eyes to his, and Jayne was relieved to see the pleased expression on her face "Thank you Jayne-man. The gift is unexpectedly nice, and the girl will treasure it always." At the last part of Rivers sentence, Jayne felt a very un-manly blush creepin into his cheeks. "Yeah, well, ain't right you never get nothin but hand-me-downs. Figured you should have sumthin nice of your own for once."

Jayne glanced around his bunk in an attempt to avoid further eye contact with River. Something about the moonbrain's brown eyes just drew a man in and made him feel like he was drownin'. River took the opportunity to take a step closer and wrap her arms around his waist, enjoying a brief hug before she released him and shot up the stairs. Jayne stood in shock for a full minute, mouth hanging open before he came to his senses and glanced up the stairs, making sure the Captain wasn't standing there will a shooter aimed at his head.

Jayne always knew she was trouble, but he hadn't expected this kind of grief from her. "Gorram crazy girl, wad she have to go and do that for, messing around with a fella like that. It's mighty indecent is what it is, somebody needs to give that girl a right earful."

Collapsing onto his bed, Jayne imagined the lecture he would give her the very next time he got her alone. He needed to hold onto this outrage, otherwise he had a feeling that rather than sleeping he would spend the rest of the night replaying the moment, and missing the feel of her slender arms wrapped tight around him.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Super sorry for the delay! I hit a wall at the end of the last chapter, and maybe kinda worked on another fanfic – but hopefully this one is back on track!**

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River franticly pawed through the goods on offer at the final stall of the markets she had dragged Simon to. For two hours she had been searching, trying to find the perfect token for the Jayne-man, but nothing was right!

"What's wrong Mei-Mei?" Simons attention was drawn away from scanning the thinning crowd for Alliance uniforms by the mewl of frustration that slipped through Rivers lips. "She cannot find anything worthy of her credits." Thanks to a successful job for Badger, the crew had more credits than they knew what to do with, and were enjoying a leisurely day spent on Persephone while Serenity was repaired and restocked with supplies.

Simon gave her an amused smile "Maybe if you tell me what it is you're looking for I could be of some help." River pondered this a moment, before dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. If Simon found out about the game she was engaged in with Jayne, he would most likely get very hysterical before deciding that she must be having an extended 'mental episode', and dose her accordingly. Not liking the outcome of that scenario, River maintained her silence as she cast a final disappointed look over the stall table before turning away and wandering back towards where they had left Serenity.

Simons mind was focused on River as they travelled the winding roads leading back to the docking station - her almost obsessive focus over the past few hours concerned him. Despite what she thought, he didn't enjoy forcing the medicines on River but it was the only way he knew how to help her. River was equally absorbed in her own worries, so neither of the siblings realized they were in trouble until a very dirty looking ruffian appeared in front of them shooter in one hand and a very wicked looking blade in the other. Simon slowly raised his hands and eased in front or River "Listen, we don't want any trouble."

River would have to disagree – she had just found the perfect token, clutched in the big oafs hand. As long as her forearm, the knife looked sturdy but deadly with a slightly curved and sharpened edge, and a leather wrapped handle that looked like it would perfectly fit the contours of a certain mercenary's palm.

The man in front of them grinned, revealing a mouth full of blackened teeth "Well ya won't have any trouble handin' over all ya credits then will ya?" River quickly sidled around Simon before he could react "You may have our credits, in exchange for your knife. If this is not agreeable to you, the girl will simply take it." The would-be thief found this so amusing that for a moment he laughed so hard he took his eyes off the slim girl bravely standing before him. That moment was all River needed. In the blink of an eye she had leaped forward and with a few very effective hits had the man unconscious on the ground. Feeling around the back of his belt, she pulled out a beaten up sheath for the knife she was taking. Once she had her prize in hand River nimbly stepped over the inert form lying in the dust, suddenly in a rush to get back to Serenity and hide her surprise – leaving Simon standing in the same spot, mouth wide open from shock.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey all, here is the next instalment – sorry they are such short chapters, but that's just how I prefer to write. Also, super special thanks to jjmjmay for defending the honour of my story and a quick reminder that if you don't like what you are reading, I'm not standing next to you with a blaster aimed at your head, you can stop if you want! **

Jane was practically asleep on his feet as he stumbled back to his bunk. After a hard day of physical labour repairing Serenity he had decided to treat himself to an evening at one of his favourite bars on Persephone – dim lights, loud music, hard liquor, and plenty of right pretty working girls if a man was of a mind to spend a few credits. Which he had planned to do, but after a few drinks he found himself content to sit at the bar watching the local colour. He had been enjoying listening in on two fellas planning what sounded like a second storey job, when they had taken exception to his attention. After a right enjoyable tussle the evening came to an end when he was thrown out of the bar, battered, bruised and in a damn fine mood.

Chuckling to himself as he rubbed his tender jaw, Jayne still wondered at those idiots mistaking him for a law man. He would have taken offense if it hadn't been so ruttin hilarious.

By the time he made it down into his bunk, he barely had enough energy to strip out of his blood splattered clothes and pull on his comfy sleeping pants before he collapsed face first onto his bed, asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

He was having the nicest dream – there was a warm weight laying along his back, and a soft breath puffin against his shoulder. Pretty tame stuff compared to his usual alcohol induced dreams, but mighty nice all the same.

"She found the Jayne-man a gift today" a soft voice whispered in the darkness. Jayne felt something being pressed into his hand, and lazily curled his fingers to grip it. "Thanks darlin', it's the shiniest present I ever got." The weight on his back giggled as she settled more comfortably on top of him, pulling the blanket up to cover them both "He has not even seen what it is." She stretched up to inspect his face, just barely making out the bruise on his jaw. She pressed a gentle kiss to it before laying her head back down and using his muscular shoulder as a pillow. "He has been having fun without the girl. She would like to come next time."

"Mei wen ti yao nu, now quit botherin' me and go to sleep" he growled out, pleased when she let out a contended sigh and pressed her hand against the skin of his back. Jayne drifted back into sleep with a smile on his face, reckoning this was the best dream he'd ever had.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jayne slowly came awake the next morning, body still hurting from the previous nights tussle, but feeling mighty well rested. Stretching out and hearing the satisfying clicks and cracks as everything settled into place, he became aware of a weight in his hand. Rolling onto his back, he felt a swell of dread as he got a look at the colourful material he had used to wrap River's toy in and began remembering his "dream".

"Go shi yao nu! Ruttin' moonbrain, what in the hell was she doin'?" Refusing to dwell on memories of her light frame pressed against him, he instead tried to think out his next move – he wasn't much on thinking, so he only just realized she must still be playing games with him. Ignoring the small stab of hurt that had nothing to do with his bruises, he pulled himself out of bed and was able to throw on a clean change of clothes and his boots before curiosity got the better of him, and he picked up the brightly wrapped package still sitting on his bed. He felt a little corner of his heart soften as he inspected the beaten up sheath and pulled out the wicked looking knife. "Gorram it girl, you ain't playin' fair. How's a man suppose to have any chance of winnin' when he don't even know the rules?"

Deciding he wasn't in a rush to go anywhere and needing some time to plan, Jayne settled down on his bed to polish his new favourite toy.


End file.
